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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28832064">The First Time</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/155qisthina28/pseuds/155qisthina28'>155qisthina28</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:08:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,857</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28832064</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/155qisthina28/pseuds/155qisthina28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Set towards the end of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince, before the death of Albus Dumbledore. Harry and Ginny decide to spend the night together..... note: there are mentions of underage sex (below 18)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The First Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     Ginny Weasley checked the time on her wristwatch, pacing in front of the common room fireplace. The fire had already been extinguished into embers after the last of the Gryffindor students made their way to bed. As she paced, she felt her pulse quicken, as it always did during these nightly rendezvous. Ginny was never one to get easily flustered around boys. It was usually the other way around. But it was different when she was with Harry Potter. The way he <em>looked</em> at her, it was enough to send her heart racing. This time was no different.</p><p>     Ginny heard a rustle from somewhere in the dark common room and called out, “Harry?”. She made sure to keep her voice down, as the other students were most likely already asleep. There was no answer.</p><p>     Ginny walked towards the center of the common room. “Harry, is that you?” Just when Ginny was about to dismiss the rustling as night drafts, Ginny felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind that made Ginny shriek in surprise.</p><p>     Harry chuckled. “Scared you, didn’t I?"</p><p>     “You wish, Potter.”</p><p>     “That’s <em>Captain</em> Potter to you, Weasley.”</p><p>     “Funny, didn’t see you at the last Quidditch match.”</p><p>     At this, Harry sighed in mock despair. “You just won’t drop it, will you? It’s not my fault Snape’s a slimy old git. Speaking of Snape, why are we even talking about him? If I’d wanted to <em>just</em> talk about Snape, I wouldn’t be sneaking into the common room in the middle of the night to see you, would I?”</p><p>     For the past several weeks, ever since they kissed in front of the entire Gryffindor house, Harry and Ginny have been sneaking into the Gryffindor common room at ungodly hours to enjoy each other’s company. Although they did manage to spend time together during the day, now that Ginny’s O.W. L’s were approaching, Hermione was reprimanding Ginny for wasting too much time with Harry, whom Hermione officially deemed a “distraction”. Harry wasn’t having it any easier, either. He had always known that N.E.W. T’s were grueling, but he didn’t think they’d be this tough. Lately, nightly meet-ups were the only time they could be together without the disturbance of anyone else.</p><p>     “I know, I know. ‘<em>I don’t go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me</em>.’”, Ginny said in what Harry thought was an inaccurate impersonation of himself. “You know, Harry, if Ron ever finds out we’ve been doing, he’ll skin us alive.”</p><p>     They had moved to curl up in one of the oversized armchairs by the fireplace, Harry’s arms around Ginny as she leaned into his side. The moonlight streamed in through the glass panes of the large windows of the common room.</p><p>     Harry snorted. “Well, better him than anyone else. Besides, he’s one to talk, running off with Lavender doing God knows what in who knows where.”</p><p>     After Ginny’s laughter had died down, she and Harry lay in silence. As much as they enjoyed messing around, laughing, and joking with one another, it was these moments that mattered the most to the both of them. Sometimes they would talk about Quidditch, or the heaping amount of work the teachers have been giving out lately. Sometimes, they talked about their troubles and hopes. Sometimes, simply being together was far better than any conversation they’ve had or any joke they’ve shared.</p><p>     As they lay in silence, the haunting words of the prophecy kept replaying in Harry’s mind. <em>Neither can live, while the other survives</em>. There would be a time, Harry knew, when he would have to kill or be killed. Whether it would be in the next week, month, or year, Harry didn’t know or care. Because whether he liked it or not, that time will come. <em>And much sooner than later</em> Harry thought.</p><p>     “Ginny?”, Harry said tentatively. Harry had been stroking Ginny’s hair, as was his habit these days. Especially when he was feeling anxious. The repetitiveness of stroking her hair always managed to calm his nerves.</p><p>     “Yes?”</p><p>     “When you kissed me that day, after the Quidditch match…. Bloody hell, when your <em>family</em> took me in, did you realise, back then, that you would be marked? Because of me? Because of who I am?”</p><p>     Ginny got into a sitting position, the lines of her mouth pinched with worry. Ginny knew, even after all these months, that Harry still blamed himself for Sirius’ death. Not to mention, the attack on her father in the Department of Mysteries. There were moments when she or Ron or Hermione would notice the glassy-eyed look on Harry. He would look as if he were watching a horrible scene unfold before him that no one else could see, so horrible he could barely speak.</p><p>     Ron sometimes confided in Hermione and Ginny that Harry would wake up in the middle of the night, screaming for Sirius, drenched in cold sweat. Of course, Dean and Seamus still believed Sirius to be the infamous escaped prisoner of Azkaban who not only committed mass murder but was also responsible for the deaths of Lily and James Potter. They thought Harry was simply having nightmares about the alleged crimes of Sirius Black. But Ron and Neville exchanged knowing looks whenever this happened.</p><p>     Harry had gotten better, these past few weeks, but he did occasionally slip into those episodes. With this in mind, Ginny chose her next words very carefully.</p><p>     “Harry, do you think we’re doing all of this, risking our lives, <em>just</em> for you?”. Ginny asked, though not in an accusatory tone. More like sheer curiosity. “We’re doing this because it’s the right thing to do. Because if not us, who? We’re doing this because no one should shoulder the burden of the fate of the world on their shoulders all alone. Not even The Chosen One.”</p><p>     Harry shook his head. “I just can’t help but think, everything bad thing that’s happened to you, or Ron, or Hermione, or your family, our friends…was all because you were all “lucky” enough to have gotten stuck with me.” Harry laughed bitterly. “Wanting to die for me… what makes me any different than Voldemort himself? Voldemort, who so willingly let his Death Eaters die and sacrifice themselves out of blind loyalty? Voldemort, who –.”</p><p>     Harry was cut off as Ginny held his face in her hands. Her eyes were blazing, like molten copper amidst the darkness of the common room. “Harry. Harry, look at me.” Harry raised his head so that his green eyes met Ginny’s brown ones. He couldn’t remember when he’d stop seeing them as Mrs. Weasley’s eyes, but as<em> her</em> eyes, and her eyes alone.</p><p>     “You are nothing like Voldemort, Harry. You love and you laugh and you feel. You would die before you let anything happen to those you love. Already, that makes you a better wizard than Voldemort has ever hoped to be. Makes you more of a human than Voldemort ever is -was.”</p><p>     A lump was forming at the back of Harry’s throat. Pressure was building in the backs of his eyes, like water held back by a dam. But he managed to force them down.</p><p>     “Harry, we chose to stand and fight by your side. We know of the risks, of course we do. But we’re doing it anyway because, in the end, it will be worth it. Because we love you, Harry, and would die for you just as you would die for us.”</p><p>     And the dam came crashing. Harry let the tears fall in warm streams onto his cheeks. Ginny gently removed his glasses and placed them on a nearby table. She pulled him into an embrace and let Harry bury his face into her shoulder, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed.</p><p>     Harry was never one to cry, much less cry in front of other people. There was something about crying that made him feel like he was standing in front of everyone while stark naked. Made him feel exposed.</p><p>     But Harry didn’t care, not now, when he was alone with Ginny, sobbing into her shoulder. It was a sight he reserved for only a select few.</p><p>     Once his sobbing had subsided, Harry pulled himself away. His eyes were dry of tears but they were still red and puffy. Harry sniffled and said, “Damn it. Tonight didn’t go as expected, did it?” He tried to lighten the mood, but he heard the raw shakiness in his own voice. Harry gestured to Ginny’s shoulder. “Sorry for ruining your jumper.”</p><p>     Ginny’s smile was soft, gentle. She leaned in to kiss Harry’s forehead. Harry gave in to her touch, closing his eyes, before she kissed his eyelids as well. Ginny could taste the saltiness of his dried tears. But she didn’t mind at all.</p><p>     Ginny’s kisses weren’t the kisses that set his skin on fire and made him see red. These kisses weren’t like the desperate and wild ones in the hidden pockets of the castle. No, these were kisses of comfort and warmth. Kisses that filled the gaping hole in one’s being, melted one’s heart, and soothed the burns on one’s soul, all at once.</p><p>     Harry twisted in his seat until Ginny was underneath him. The moonlight that streamed into the common room made Ginny’s usually flaming-red hair looked like streams of golden light seen through raindrops. And when it fanned around her as she laid on her back, she was surrounded by an amber halo. Harry thought he had never seen her look more beautiful than she did at that moment.</p><p>     Ginny felt the brush of Harry’s lips on hers, then on the corners of her mouth. The armchair was large enough for Harry to place an arm beside Ginny’s head while his other hand gently cupped the back of her neck.</p><p>     Harry began trailing kisses on her jaw, laying a path along her neck. He pulled on the sleeve of Ginny’s jumper and continued that path along her freckled shoulder. Ginny gasped from the cold and let her fingers intertwine with the jet-black hair by the nape of Harry’s neck.</p><p>     Harry pulled away from Ginny suddenly, causing her to prop herself up on her elbows.</p><p>     “Harry?”</p><p>     “Why don’t we get out of here for a bit?”, Harry asked without preamble.</p><p>     Ginny blinked. “What?”</p><p>     “How would you fancy going out for a bit? Go somewhere we can be alone. Actually alone and not in the common room. Where our friends are sleeping. Soundly. I think. I hope.” Harry realised he was rambling. He just wanted a night with Ginny without having to worry about someone walking in on them.</p><p>     “Out? As in, spend the night together?”, Ginny asked.</p><p>     "Only if you want to. I mean, I’d completely understand if you didn’t want to. What, with your O.W. L’s and everything…not to mention, the Aurors on patrol…we could use my father’s cloak of course, if you want to, that is.”, Harry added quickly and ran his fingers through his hair.</p><p>     “Harry?”</p><p>     “Yes?</p><p>     “You’re rambling again.”</p><p>     “Right, sorry.” Harry gave Ginny a rueful smile.</p><p>     Ginny lifted a hand to cup Harry’s cheek. Her finger grazed the top of his cheekbone, where the round of his glasses would have ended had he been wearing them. She reached over to where Harry’s glasses lay and placed them on Harry’s nose, Harry’s eyes never leaving her as she did so.</p><p>     “Well,” Ginny began. “You’re going to need your glasses, aren’t you? If you’re going to lead the way? I don’t intend to be found by Aurors in a…<em>compromising</em> position, Invisibility Cloak or no. Oh, and my answer is yes, by the way.”</p><p>     Harry felt a flush creeping up his neck, but his face cracked into a brilliant smile. He kissed Ginny on the cheek before he made to head to his dorms. “Hang on, I’ll go get the Cloak and the Map.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>     As he walked up the stairs that led to the circular sixth-year boys’ dorm, Harry’s heart pounded and he felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. The thought of spending the night with Ginny was as exhilarating as it was daunting. He had never done anything like that before. Neither had Ginny. He knew because Michael Corner and Dean Thomas still had their heads and limbs still intact, courtesy of Ron.</p><p><em>     Calm down</em> Harry told himself. It wasn’t as if he and Ginny haven’t been whisking away in dark corners of the castle, doing things that would make Ron go ballistic if he ever found out….</p><p><em>     Ron</em>.</p><p>     Harry’s eyes quickly flashed towards his best friend’s four-post bed as he crept into the sixth-year boys’ dorm. He heard, rather than saw that his best friend, was soundly asleep; Harry amused himself with the thought of how he would able to recognise Ron by his snore. All the other boys were fast asleep too; Neville, Dean, Seamus.</p><p>     Harry inched towards his trunk, taking care as to not make any noise. His roommates were heavy sleepers, but that didn’t mean he wanted to announce his arrival any time soon. He didn’t want to risk using his wand light either. And although Ron had come to terms with him and Ginny going out, he didn’t think Ron would appreciate waking up to the sight of him on his way to sneak out with Ginny.</p><p>     Harry knelt by his trunk at the foot of his own bed and as gently and as noiselessly as he possibly could, he lifted the cover of his trunk. He sighed with relief to find that his most prized possessions were placed at the very top.</p><p>     Harry had stuffed the Marauder’s Map into his jean pocket and was in the middle of removing the Invisibility Cloak when he heard a sharp intake of breath coming from somewhere in the dorm. He whipped his neck towards the source of the sound as saw, to his relief, that it was none other than Ron, talking in his sleep. He had a sort of wistful look on his face and was saying what Harry suspiciously thought was “Hermione”.</p><p>     Once he had removed his Invisibility Cloak, Harry shut his trunk just as carefully as he had opened it and tip-toed out of the room.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>     “Ready?”, Harry asked as he arrived at the foot of the stairs.</p><p>     “Aye-Aye, Captain.”, Ginny replied with a glint in her eye.</p><p>     Harry silently cursed for being unable to stop himself from blushing. Goodness, he really did blush easily, didn’t he? He took out the Marauder’s Map, unfolded it, and placed the tip of his wand onto it.</p><p>     “<em>I solemnly swear that I am up to no good</em>.”</p><p>     As soon as Harry said those words, lines and shapes appeared on the parchment, as if they were already there and one had simply scratched off the grime left on the Marauder’s Map.</p><p>     Ginny watched as the layout of the castle emerged on the map, along with the whereabouts of its inhabitants. There were more shapes that appeared on the map than usual, accounting for the Aurors who were patrolling the castle. She even saw Mad-Eye Moody’s name appear.</p><p>     Harry noticed this too and said, “It’s a good thing he’s not stationed where we’re heading. I dunno if anyone’s told you, but Moody’s magical eye can see through Invisibility Cloaks as well.”</p><p>     “That reminds me, where exactly are we going?”</p><p>     “Well…I was thinking of heading to the Room of Requirement. You alright with that? Anywhere else would just be <em>asking</em> to be found…”</p><p>     “You read my mind,” Ginny replied with a grin.</p><p>     Harry drew the Invisibility Cloak over himself and Ginny. They weren’t quite as small as they were in their respective first years, so they had to crouch a little to make sure they were covered head to toe.</p><p>     In a sort of half walk and half shuffle, they left the Gryffindor common room through the portrait hole. The Fat Lady was already asleep. Plus, if all went well tonight, they wouldn’t be seeing the Fat Lady till way past sunrise…</p><p>     With the help of the Marauder’s Map, Harry and Ginny made their way to the corridor of the Room of Requirement, dodging past ghosts and Aurors on patrol. The first time Harry used the Room of Requirement, it was a training room for Dumbledore’s Army. Then, it was a storage room where he hid the Half-Blood Prince’s copy of Advanced Potion-Making.</p><p>     Now that he and Ginny were in the deserted corridor where the Room of Requirement was, he wasn’t precisely sure what it was he required. And neither did Ginny, by the looks of it.</p><p>     “What should we ask it for?”, Ginny asked in hushed tones.</p><p>     Harry thought for a while. And then an idea struck him. “I know just the thing.”</p><p>     Ginny shuffled alongside Harry as he moved past the Room of Requirement three times. And then, a set of great double doors materialized onto the empty wall, just as expected.</p><p>     “Ladies first”, Harry said as he gestured to Ginny to enter. Ginny, with a smile, walked out of the Invisibility Cloak and into the Room of Requirement. Harry checked the corridor one last time to make sure they were alone before he too, entered the Room. Once inside, he removed the Cloak.</p><p>     As soon as Harry shut the door, it disappeared, leaving a smooth brick wall. To any onlookers from the outside, no one would have guessed that a hidden room lay beyond the castle wall.</p><p>     Ginny looked around the room and whistled. “Very nice.”, she said.</p><p>     The inside of the Room of Requirement looked like a flat, very much like the insides of the tent that Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys stayed in during the Quidditch World Cup Finals two years ago. However, instead of several bunk beds, there was a four-poster bed that looked like it could comfortably fit two people. But everything else was exactly the same. There was a sitting area, a kitchen area, and even a bathroom. A fire was crackling happily in the fireplace. The fire cast a warm glow upon the furniture in the Room.</p><p>     Another major difference was the ceiling. It was enchanted – just like the ceiling of the Great Hall – to look like the sky outside. At the moment, it showed a starry sky, the silver face of the moon stark against the dark night sky. It even appeared as if the moonlight was streaming into the room even though the Room clearly did not have windows or a skylight. This gave the impression that the Room was a singular unit placed in a clearing in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night.</p><p>     “<em>Mischief Managed</em>. So, shall we -?”</p><p>     Harry’s question was cut short as Ginny’s lips came crashing onto his, but he was surprised to find that, though her kiss was sudden, it was gentle. Ginny’s hands were raking through Harry’s hair, making it even messier than usual. Harry had one hand on Ginny’s back and the other arm around her waist, trying to get rid of any existing space between their bodies.</p><p>     Slowly, Ginny’s hands went from Harry’s hair to the waistband of his jeans, where her fingers skimmed the sliver of skin between the top of his jeans and the bottom of his jumper. Harry made a low groan at Ginny’s touch.</p><p>     Naturally, he did not resist when Ginny looped her fingers through the loops of his jeans and pulled him towards the bed. Their kissing grew hungrier, more desperate. As they neared the bed, their feet, in a confused shuffle, caused them to tumble not very gracefully onto the edge of the bed.</p><p>     Harry braced his fall with his forearms, placing them on either side of Ginny’s head. Ginny had already wrapped her legs around Harry’s waist, pulling him towards her.</p><p>     “I reckon that’s a yes?”, Harry managed in between kisses. Ginny did not respond but Harry felt her smile against his lips.</p><p>     As if spurred into action by Ginny’s smile, he brought his arms around Ginny’s shoulders and lifted her, warranting a shriek of surprised delight from Ginny. Harry, on his knees, inched up the bed and laid Ginny down, her head settling on the pillows.</p><p>     Ginny broke the kiss and placed her hands upon Harry’s chest. Both of them were breathing very hard now. Ginny’s hands went to the edges of her jumper which she deftly removed, as well as the shirt she wore underneath it. She tossed them onto the floor. She made to undo the button of her jeans but Harry caught her wrists in a gentle but firm grip. When he looked at Ginny, his eyes held hers in a steady gaze.</p><p>     “Ginny, are you sure you want to do this?”</p><p>     “Yes, Harry. I’m sure. More than anything else.”. As if to emphasise her point, Ginny undid her jeans button. With Harry’s assistance, she shimmied out of her jeans.</p><p>     Harry removed his own jumper and shirt but his hands were trembling as they went to his belt buckle. Ginny noticed and steadied them with her own hands.</p><p>     Harry gave a shaky laugh. “Blimey, I’m not very good at this, am I?”.</p><p>     Ginny shook her head, a look of understanding in her eyes. “Harry, no. It’s my first time as well.” Harry didn’t know if he was relieved or even more anxious.</p><p>     Nevertheless, he gave Ginny a smile. “Together, then?”</p><p>     Ginny nodded. “Together.”</p><p>     Harry’s jeans joined the rest of their clothes in a scattered mess across the floor of the Room of Requirement. Now the both of them were in nothing but their undergarments. Ginny gently guided Harry’s hands towards the clasps of her bra and undid them. As her bra fell away, Harry sucked in a breath.</p><p>     “Beautiful”, Harry whispered. He began kissing the crook of her neck and traveled to the curve of her shoulder. He fully intended to pick up from where he had left off in the common room.</p><p>     Every kiss was accompanied by him sucking at the delicate skin. Ginny felt a needle-prick-like pain as Harry’s teeth met that sensitive area of her body. Like Sleeping Beauty when she pricked her finger on the spinning wheel. Except, instead of falling into a 100-year long sleep, every prick unleashed a wave of ecstasy, making her feel more alive and more awake than ever.</p><p>     While his lips did a number on Ginny, Harry’s hands explored every curve and hollow of Ginny’s body. Ginny gasped and arched her body as his fingers brushed the swell of her breasts.</p><p>     “Harry. Oh, <em>Harry</em>.”</p><p>     Harry looked up to admire the freckles along Ginny’s chest, her shoulders, her arms. Without his glasses, his eyes looked like they had doubled in size and were shining like emeralds.</p><p>     “Your freckles.”, Harry said huskily. “They’re like stars and galaxies across the sky. Lovely. Otherworldly.” He kissed Ginny’s freckles fervently, as if trying to catch every single one of them.</p><p>     Ginny’s cheeks were flaming. Growing up, she was always a little self-conscious of the freckles that dusted her body. It wasn’t until very recently that she decided to embrace them as another unique part of her. Still, she felt warmth spreading through her chest as she heard Harry say those words.</p><p>     Struck by a sudden boldness, Ginny pulled Harry down, taking pleasure in the weight of his body against hers. Their legs were tangled in a sort of lover’s knot. She brought her lips to his ear and whispered, “My turn.”</p><p>     They rolled and Ginny was straddling Harry, her hair a curtain of flames around them. Ginny allowed her hands to admire and explore the canvas before her. Harry was deceivingly muscular. When Ginny had first met him, he was a skinny boy with knobby knees, scrawny even, which was made even more obvious by the hand-me-down clothes from his much larger cousin, Dudley Dursley.</p><p>     Over the years, possibly with the help of Quidditch training, Harry filled out and had grown from scrawny to sculpted. Ginny herself had grown from delicate china to athletic leanness, with a strength that was not often discernible from her smaller stature.</p><p>     Sweat had caused strands of Ginny’s hair to stick to her temples and neck. Harry’s usually straight black hair curled at the temples and the nape of his neck as well.</p><p>     “Like what you see?”. Harry had his hands crossed behind his head, wearing a very smug expression.</p><p>     Ginny did not reply but smiled coyly and brought her lips over Harry’s chest, where his heart was. She could feel the blood rushing underneath the lean muscles of his chest.</p><p>     It was Ginny’s turn to let her hands roam. Where her hands had been, kisses had been strewn. His chest. His shoulders. The smooth plane of his stomach. Her fingers were toying with the bands of Harry’s briefs as her kisses went lower, and lower, and lower…</p><p>     She heard a hitch in Harry’s breathing.</p><p>     “<em>Ginny</em>.”</p><p>     She looked up and saw, with no small amount of satisfaction, that the smugness had left Harry’s face. He was gripping the bedsheets and his back was slightly arched.</p><p>     Ginny wanted to make a witty remark, but before she could say anything, Harry had pulled her under the sheets. And it wasn’t until much later that they finally succumbed to tiredness and fell asleep in each other’s arms.</p><p>     Throughout the night, it was as if there were only two of them in the world. No one there to harm them. No one hunting them down. No one to disturb the steady heartbeats of the couple in bed.</p><p>     For the first time, in a long time, Harry didn’t have nightmares.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>     Harry was awoken by a faint tickling sensation. He fluttered his eyes open, but immediately whipped his arm up to shield his eyes from the glaring light.<br/>
He heard a chuckle. “Good morning. Or should I say, good afternoon.”. Harry lowered his arm and looked to his side. There was Ginny, curled up beside him, her head upon his shoulder.</p><p>     She had been drawing idle circles upon Harry’s chest with her fingers but stopped when he had woken up.</p><p>     “Afternoon? Bloody hell, what time is it?”. Harry lowered his arm and blinked a couple of times as his eyes adjusted to the light. Once they did, he looked up and saw the Sun outside, hanging high and filling the room with midday light.</p><p>    <em> That’s funny. The lighting doesn’t change much in the Great Hall, no matter how the sky looks on the outside</em> Harry thought to himself. He told himself that it was probably one of the mysteries of Hogwarts castle. Maybe he could go and ask Hermione sometime later.</p><p>     <em>Hermione. Ron.</em></p><p>     Harry felt a pang of guilt for disappearing on his friends. It wasn’t as if it was the first time he had gone off doing whatever it is he was doing without telling his friends. Still, given the current climate, he figured they’d be anxious about his absence. He just hoped they hadn’t gone to any of the teachers or the Aurors yet. Now that would be a mortifying situation. For multiple reasons. But when he had Ginny lying beside him, he couldn’t help but forget all about his guilt and his worries.</p><p>     Ginny rolled and got up onto her forearms and gave him a lazy smile. “11:30. About half an hour until lunch and an hour and a half before afternoon lessons. I woke up much earlier but couldn’t bring myself to wake you up.” She brought her hand up to push a stray lock of hair from Harry’s eyes.</p><p>     The corners of Harry’s mouth quirked up into a smile. “And why not? Enjoyed looking at my uncanny resemblance to Sleeping Beauty?”</p><p>     Ginny furrowed her brows in confusion. “No idea who that is. But if by Sleeping Beauty, you mean Hungarian Horntail, then, why, yes. Besides, “. Ginny held a finger in the air and in her best imitation of Dumbledore, said, “Never tickle a sleeping dragon.” At this, Harry laughed.</p><p>     “You know,” Harry began after recovering from a laughing fit. He started twinning Ginny’s hair around his fingers. The sunlight that streamed into the Room of Requirement made it look as if he were playing with tendrils of flame.</p><p>     “It’s been a long time since I managed a whole night’s worth of sleep without images and thoughts flitting through my head. Since Sirius…”, he had trailed off. For a moment, Ginny thought she saw his eyes glass over. But before she started to worry, Harry looked at her in the eye, the glassiness gone.</p><p>     “Thank you.” His voice was gentle but his eyes were bright and intense. “And not just for last night. For standing by me. For being <em>here</em>.”</p><p>     Ginny didn’t reply but kissed gently Harry on the lips. The look she wore was not of pity, but of understanding and something else that Harry couldn’t quite place his finger on.</p><p>     “I love you, Harry Potter.”</p><p>     “And I love you, Ginny Weasley.”</p><p>     Harry pulled Ginny into his arms but as he did so, he felt a sharp discomfort in his stomach, accompanied by a rumbling sound. As if on cue, a kettle whistled from the kitchen area.</p><p>     Ginny giggled. “And right on time. We should probably start getting ready for lunch in the Great Hall. I’ll go make some tea first.” Harry made a sound of protest as Ginny pulled away, and flopped his head against the pillow.</p><p>     He watched as Ginny headed over to the kitchen area, but not before he realised, with mild surprise, that she was wearing a dressing robe. He craned his neck around and saw that another dressing robe hanging on his side of the headboard. His wire-rimmed glasses winked from a bedside table. Beside it, lay his wand and the Marauder's Map.</p><p>     Harry jolted into a sitting position and looked around the Room. “Hey, Ginny?”, he called out. “What’s happened to all of our clothes?”</p><p>     Ginny looked around from her spot in the kitchen area. “Oh! I forgot to tell you. Apparently, when they say the Room of Requirement, they really do mean the Room of <em>Requirement</em>.”</p><p>     “Look over there,” was Ginny’s response to Harry’s questioning look. Ginny gestured to another corner of the room.</p><p>     Harry looked over to where Ginny had indicated. With no small amount of delight, he saw that the Room had provided them with everything they needed to get ready.</p><p>     There was a dressing area by the bathroom. His and Ginny’s uniforms were displayed in an open wardrobe. Their tops, bottoms, ties, and socks. His Invisibility Cloak was hanging on a coat hanger, alongside their robes. Even a fresh set of undergarments was laid out. Their clothes from the previous evening, Harry assumed, had been taken up to their respective dorms.</p><p>     “Do you think it was the Room? Or the house-elves?”, Harry asked as Ginny walked over to the bed with two steaming mugs of tea. Harry took one of the mugs and Ginny sidled up next to him on the bed. They were sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard with their legs stretched out, shoulder to shoulder.<br/>
Ginny shrugged. “No idea, but either way, number one, they did a rather excellent job. And two, I find it rather disturbing that someone or something has been invading our privacy…”</p><p>     There was a pause as Harry and Ginny turned to look at each other, realisation dawning on the both of them. Then they burst into a fit of laughter, which quickly turned into hisses of pain as the hot tea splashed onto their hands.</p><p>     Harry was still sucking on his hand – in a hasty attempt to cool them – when Ginny stopped sipping tea from her mug and turned to him to say something.<br/>
“Listen, Harry. You’ll have to head to the Great Hall without me. I’ll be off to see Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing first.”</p><p>     At this, he looked up in alarm. Did he hurt her? Was she having second thoughts? He put down his mug on the bedside table. He cupped Ginny’s hands that were holding the mug. “Why? What’s the matter?” Concern filled his voice.</p><p>     To Harry’s surprise, Ginny laughed at his question, though not unkindly. More as if he were a toddler who asked her a very silly question.</p><p>     “Harry, when a Mummy wizard and a Daddy wizard love each other very, very much…”</p><p>     “What do you – Oh…”</p><p>     Harry could feel the blood rushing up to his face as he recalled the things they did <em>well</em> into the night.</p><p>     “Would you like me to come with you?”, Harry asked as soon as he caught Ginny’s meaning. Harry knew Ginny well enough to know that she didn’t need him to go with her. But he asked anyway, because, isn’t that what one is supposed to do after such a night?</p><p>     Ginny, as usual, was unruffled. She knew he only asked because, well, it was Harry. From the outside looking in, he was Harry Potter, The Chosen One, The Boy Who Lived, whose bravery was the beacon of light and hope for the wizarding community. But to Ginny, and to a select few, like Ron and Hermione, he was Harry. Kind, gentle, humble. A few of the things she loved about him.</p><p>     “Oh, don’t be ridiculous.” Ginny brushed off Harry’s concern. “Really, you go on ahead, it won’t take very long. Besides, it’s not the first time Madam Pomfrey’s got fifth, sixth, and seventh-year girls coming up to her, asking for the morning-after potion.” Ginny smirked. “And I highly doubt it will be the last.”<br/>
After they had finished their tea, Ginny suggested they wash up before changing into their uniforms. Harry cheekily and not-so-subtly hinted that he would like to join her in the shower, but Ginny protested by telling him they’d be missing a whole day’s worth of lessons at that rate. <em>Oh well</em>, Harry thought, <em>I</em> did <em>try</em>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>     Harry, washed up and dressed, checked the Marauders’ Map to make sure nobody was walking along the corridor outside the Room of Requirements. Besides getting caught, it would call for some very awkward questions. Before leaving, Harry also made sure to stuff the Invisibility Cloak into the pockets of his robes. As long as nobody was there to actually see them exit the Room of Requirement, there was no need for the Cloak.</p><p>     Once the coast was clear, Harry and Ginny stepped out of the Room of Requirement into the empty corridor. At once, its great doors disappeared and melted into the wall, leaving it bare, with no signs of the hidden room whatsoever.</p><p>     “I’ll see you later,” Ginny said.</p><p>     Harry brought his lips to Ginny’s and lingered. For a moment, all he wanted to do was disappear into the Room of Requirement and not attend lessons for the rest of the day. Or the week. Or the month. Or, ever, really.</p><p>     Ginny, as if having read Harry’s mind, pulled away, and looked up at Harry, a faint smile playing about her lips. “You might want to go before our friends start worrying.”</p><p>     At that, Harry sighed and rested his forehead upon Ginny’s. “I figured you would say that. Shall we tell them the truth?”</p><p>     Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment. “If they ask, then, yes. If not…well, what they don’t know won’t hurt them.”</p><p>     Harry watched as Ginny disappeared into another corridor, well on her way to Madam Pomfrey. But not before Ginny went on her toes to give him a peck on the cheek.</p><p>     The previous night was the only thing in Harry’s mind as he walked to the Great Hall, a spring in his step.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>     Hermione Granger entered the Great Hall for lunch. After double Arithmancy, the waft of food was very inviting, near-intoxicating. Her eyes scanned the Great Hall in search of the two boys.</p><p>     Her eyes landed on a freckled face with a shock of flaming red hair seated at one of the long tables, his plate laden with more food than anyone else’s seated at the table. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. <em>How is it that boys could eat so much food and not gain a single pound?</em> she thought.</p><p>     “Ron, have you seen Harry?”, Hermione asked as she seated herself opposite Ron, whose cheeks were stuffed.</p><p>     “Ah wash abodh dho ashk yoo she sham shing.”</p><p>     Hermione pursed her lips. “Really, Ronald. I can’t understand you when you’ve got your mouth full.”</p><p>     Ron chewed and gulped down his food. “I said, I was about to ask you the same thing.”</p><p>     At this, Hermione perked up. “Hold on, he wasn’t with you at breakfast?”.</p><p>     “Nope”, Ron said mildly. He was cutting into a rather tough-looking piece of steak. His cutlery was making a clinking sound that never failed to make Hermione’s teeth chatter. She bit back a wave of annoyance.</p><p>     “Well, he wasn’t with me either when I came down for breakfast.”</p><p>     Ron waved a fork in her direction. “Hang on, what were you doing, having breakfast so early?”</p><p>     At this, Hermione lost it. “I planned on going to the library for a bit of studying before my first lesson! But never mind that!”, Hermione snapped. She snatched away Ron’s plate just as he was about to attack the peas he had piled on one side of the plate.</p><p>     “Hey! Hermione, what the-.”</p><p>     “<em>Ronald Bilius Weasley!</em>” Hermione impatiently flicked away a stray strand of her bushy hair. “Neither of us has seen Harry since last night and all you can do is eat? Honestly, Ron, given the circumstances, you’d think his best friend would be more concerned!”</p><p>     Ron’s ears were beginning to redden. “It’s not like it’s the first time he’s gone off to do something without telling us!”, he retorted. He snatched his plate back from Hermione. “He’s probably off trying to figure out what Malfoy’s been up to. Or maybe he’s with Slughorn. Or…. or, maybe he’s been doing overtime with Dumbledore or something! Look, I’m sure he’s alright…”, Ron said with as much conviction as he could muster but could hear his own voice trail off.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>     Harry was whistling a rather bawdy tune as he sauntered into the Great Hall. As per usual, he heard his friends before he actually saw them. Ron and Hermione seemed to be engaged in an argument that Harry was almost certain was about him. Ron’s face was red as a tomato, just like it always was when he was angry or embarrassed. Hermione’s hands were fluttering animatedly, as if trying to make a point.</p><p>     Silence fell upon Ron and Hermione as Harry appeared by their table and plopped himself right next to Ron. Their gazes followed Harry, who tried to seem indifferent towards his friends’ stunned silence.</p><p>     “Good afternoon, everyone. Lovely day outside, isn’t it?”, Harry said by way of greeting. He reached for the food laid out in front of him.</p><p>     This seemed to snap Ron out of his reverie. “See, Hermione. I told you he’d show up.”, Ron said indignantly.</p><p>     Hermione decided to ignore this. Instead, she rounded on Harry. “And where in the name of Merlin have you been?” Hermione was now standing up, her hands on her hips, wearing a glare that could give Mrs. Weasley a run for her money.</p><p>     Harry looked like he was trying very hard to suppress a smile and made a sound that sounded like a cross between a cough and a laugh. “Well, if you must know…”.</p><p>     But Harry never got to finish his sentence because, at that moment, Ginny appeared by Hermione’s side and sat down. “Afternoon Hermione. Ron.” She inclined her head towards her brother.</p><p>     “Oh! Hello there, Ginny.”, Hermione said before turning back to Harry once more.</p><p>     Harry’s mouth smiled around his fork as Ginny winked at him. Ron hastily looked away and was suddenly very interested in his own plate of food.</p><p>     “Anyways, as I was saying, where –”. Hermione, sharp as always, caught sight of something on the side of Ginny’s neck. Ginny’s robes had shifted slightly as she reached for a jug of pumpkin juice.</p><p>     Hermione sat down quickly and leaned in to get a closer look, her eyes narrowing. “Ginny, what’s that on your neck…?”, Hermione asked.</p><p>     “What’s what on my neck?”. Ginny’s tone was innocent enough, but Hermione saw that the corners of Ginny’s mouth were starting to quirk up. Now it was Harry’s turn to look suddenly very interested in his food.</p><p>     Ron looked back and forth between Harry and Ginny a couple of times. Then suddenly, “Harry, you –”. Ron proceeded to call Harry a name that prompted Hermione to say “<em>Ron!</em>”, but made Ginny roll her eyes in a mixture of annoyance and amusement.</p><p>     Ron’s rambling went on throughout afternoon lessons. Harry even thought he heard faint grumbling as he went to sleep. Harry, though feeling a little guilty about this supposed “betrayal”, he couldn’t get himself to feel…whatever it is Ron expected him to feel.</p><p>     These past few weeks with Ginny were some of the best he had had in a very long time, other than moments with Ron and Hermione.</p><p>     And he was going to savour them, however long they would last.</p>
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